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BRANT JAMESBecause of the nature of the job, those who have been injured think there is little more NASCAR can do to improve safety during races.
John Bryan revels in his paperwork these days.
With his left leg propped, Bryan sits behind a desk and sifts through manifests and billing statements as his Robert Yates Racing teammates labor over motors in their Mooresville, N.C., shop. Being the parts manager has its benefits right now because Bryan, the race-day jack man for Dale Jarrett's No.88 Ford, will not be jumping over retaining walls any time soon.
"I can't do much of anything right now," Bryan said. "It's a good thing I have my paperwork."
Bryan, 32, may face months of rehabilitation before returning to pit road after being struck by Jarrett's spinning car Aug.3 at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He injured his thumb and shoulder and tore the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Jarrett was attempting to pit on Lap 37, but because his stall was the first on pit road, he was unable to break safely and lost control.
"I don't remember a thing," said Bryan, whose insurance is provided through his race team and NASCAR. "All I remember is the car turning sideways before it came into the pits. The next thing I know, I'm waking up on the ground on my back and not knowing exactly what's wrong. You kind of hurt all over, and people are standing over you with real big eyes.
"Very, very scary."
Bryan's case is the most serious in a three-week spate of high-profile accidents that proved how dangerous a 15-second pit stop can be.
There is inherent risk for each crew member. The jack man must time a dash in front of his oncoming car to be in position when it halts. Tire changers and carriers are exposed to pit-road traffic, and gas and catch-can men always face the risk of fire.
Anton Julian, the left-rear tire changer for Al Unser Jr.'s Indy Racing League IndyCars entry, suffered a concussion and a right-knee injury after a pit-road accident in the Emerson Indy 250 Sunday.
Also Sunday, Brian Englehart, the gas man for Winston Cup driver Kevin Harvick, briefly was engulfed in flames when a burning chunk of rubber from the right-rear tire ignited spilled fuel. Englehart said he never felt imperiled because of his double-layered fire suit, flame-retardant gloves, underwear and hood.
"It didn't bother me," Englehart said. "It was scary, but I was not on fire. I was just able to take a step away and all I really felt was some heat on my face."
Despite the high-profile mishaps, Englehart said such incidents are rare.
"I've been doing this seven seasons, fueling Winston Cup cars, and this is the first time I've ever had anything like this happen," he said.
The unusual setup of Watkins Glen contributed to the Sunday flame-up, Englehart said. Cars pit from the left, not the right as usual, and that presents an initial acclimation problem for crews, he said. Most pit roads also are flat, but the grade at Watkins Glen made the gas Englehart spilled roll into the path of the burning rubber. Englehart estimated he spilled two quarts, twice the normal amount.
"I couldn't tell there was a fire," he said. "Some guys over the wall could see it, but I couldn't."
Bryan, too, has analyzed his accident. He was victimized by a multitude of factors: working in the 43rd pit stall that was nearest to the course and where the timing line for pit-speed limits began, on a pit road that is more narrow than most NASCAR facilities.
Though Bryan believes Indianapolis in particular could make itself safer for stock car racing, neither he nor Englehart thinks much more can be done to make the jobs less perilous. NASCAR has mandated helmets.
The helmet rule was made after a November 2001 incident at Homestead when Bryan, then working for Ricky Rudd, and another crew member were struck by Ward Burton on pit road. Bryan injured his leg and suffered a concussion when Burton, exiting a pit stall behind Bryan, turned into him to avoid another car.
"You can't put us in an armored suit," Bryan said. "The only thing you can do is shorten races, but that upsets race fans because they pay a lot of money. You can make it a three or four pit-stop race, and that takes out some percentage of people getting hurt.
"But you have seven guys on a (pit crew), 43 teams. That's 300 people jumping over the wall. I think maybe we're doing all we can do."
Bryan hopes to attend the GFS Marketplace 400 on Sunday, but the expanse of the track would force him to do a lot of walking and make his knee swell. He may wait until Bristol, Tenn., on Aug.23 to rejoin the team as a cheerleader and projects Oct.5 at Kansas for a return to the pits if his knee does not require surgery.
With plenty of time to reflect, Bryan wonders how he'll feel the next time he runs in front Jarrett's car. He can't tell himself these things are once-in-a-career misfortunes anymore.
"It was a little weird ... a weird feeling being back out the last time," he said. "When I had situations come about like that day in Homestead, a car pulling out, I was always kind of a second slow because I was looking to see what I was getting into."